iFinally Figured It Out
by Live.Love.Laugh.2009
Summary: Carly, Sam and Freddie are 18. Freddie stopped hanging out with Sam & Carly when they ended the show 2 years ago, but Carly is still on his mind. Then something happens that brings Carly & Freddie back together, & Sam is still holding a grudge. xCREDDIE!x
1. Chapter 1: iHave A Broken Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly. Plain and simple.**

Chapter 1: iHave a Broken Heart

CPOV

I can't believe Andrew dumped me. I really liked him - in fact, lately I had been thinking that maybe I loved him.

"Ugh!" I groaned out loud, even though I was all alone in my bedroom. I can't believe I ever thought I loved that jerk. I picked up the purple fuzzy pillow off of my bed and threw it across the room. Andrew and I had been dating for 11 months, he was sweet and adorable, but also very adventurous and spontaneous, which is what had attracted me to him in the first place.

He was the best boyfriend I could have asked for, and he really cared for me. Andrew was the first person who ever seemed to like me as much as… Freddie. His face popped up in my head as I thought his name. But the image seemed kind of faded, like I couldn't quite remember. Which is strange, because he is still my neighbor and all, but he started hanging out with guys on the track team and, well, we don't really talk anymore. I shook my head and made the image drift away like a picture on an etch-a-sketch.

As I made my way to the kitchen for a glass of orange juice I started thinking about all the times I had spent with Andrew over the past 11 months, all the amazing memories we had. I felt tears slide down my cheek as I opened the refrigerator door. As I poured my juice into a glass I noticed the braided brown leather bracelet on my wrist. Andrew had made it for me, I haven't taken it off even once since he gave it to me.

I pictured that night in my mind, we were going for a late-night walk on the beach when he took the bracelet out of his pocket and put it around my wrist. Then he kissed me and told me I was the most amazing girl he had ever met. As much as I wanted to hate him right now, I just couldn't. And as much as I wanted to deny that I ever thought I loved him, I was still thinking it right now. And with that I was full-out sobbing.

I slid onto the floor and cried for a few minutes until my phone started ringing. I took my cell out of my pocket and saw that it was Sam. I wiped the tears out of my eyes and tried to compose myself as I pressed 'talk'.

"Hello?" I said, my voice obviously shaky from crying.

"Carls! You'll never believe what just happened! I was down at groovy smoothie and this guy behind me in line was like 'Hey aren't you one of the girls who used to do that iCarly show?' and when I said yes he told me that he is the owner of a bar that does comedy nights. He asked if we were interested in doing a show or two, I told him I didn't think so. But he gave me his card and paid for my smoothie! Can you believe it? Free smoothie!"

"That's great." I just couldn't make myself sound happy, no matter how awesome free smoothies may be.

"Carly? What's wrong?" I knew she was going to be able to tell. I couldn't hide my emotions from Sam. She knew me too well.

"Well, umm… It's just…" I wanted to tell her, just say that Andrew broke up with me and I was heartbroken, but saying it out loud made it seem too real.

"Carly, just tell me. What's going on?" She sounded really concerned.

"I can't, Sam. I just can't." I was crying again.

"Do you need me to come over?"

"Can you?" I really needed my best friend right now.

"Yeah, of course. I'll be there in like five minutes."

We hung up and I got up off of the floor. I went and unlocked the door so Sam could let herself in and then flopped on the couch, burying my head in my arms.

SPOV

I could tell Carly was really upset. I didn't know for sure what was going on, but I had a good idea it had to do with Andrew. I swear if that kid hurt her I was going to hunt him down and kick him where it counts. Multiple times. I walked to Carly's building and angrily shoved open the door to the lobby when I got there. Right into the person standing on the other side.

"Ow!" I heard the person, a guy, say from the other side of the door. I pushed my way through into the lobby without apology.

"Well that's what you get for being in the way of an angry chick!" I yelled. Then I noticed the person I slammed a door into was Freddie. My anger faded into an awkward silence. "Oh, hey, Freddie. Sorry I, uh, hit you with a door."

"It's fine. Are you okay?" he asked me. I was kind of surprised he cared. I tried not to be offended when he stopped hanging out with us, I know sometimes things just happen, but the three of us were supposed to be best friends.

"Yeah. But Carly's pretty upset about something, I have to go find out what's going on. See ya, Benson." I started towards the stairs when I heard Freddie yell after me.

"I hope everything's alright. Will you tell Carly I said hi?"

I turned around to face him, with a sincere smile on my face because I was glad he actually did still care about us after all this time.

"Yeah. I will." Then I darted up the stairs to go check on my best friend.

FPOV

As I watched Sam run up the staircase I had a strong urge to follow her, to go up to the Shay's loft and pull Carly into my arms and tell her everything was going to be okay. I didn't know what was going on but I still felt the need to protect her. Then I realized I couldn't do that. Not only would it be awkward and uncomfortable, but Carly didn't need me anymore. Not after I screwed everything up.

After we ended iCarly hanging out with Carly and Sam got more and more distant. We didn't have as much to talk about anymore, and after I joined the track team I felt more a part of that group than Carly and Sam's. I meant to stay friends with them, but the longer it had been since I hung out with them the more difficult it became to talk to them. Then before I knew it we hadn't talked in two years and we graduated high school still not being friends.

Even after all of it though, I knew I still loved Carly. I've always loved her, and I will always love her. Of course I've dated other girls, but she's always been in the back of my mind. Friends or not, Carly Shay is the one for me. I just wish I would have been the one for her.

And now she's upset, so upset that it made Sam return back to her old violent ways. And I couldn't be there. I couldn't be the one to wipe away her tears and make her smile. That's what Andrew was for, he was her boyfriend after all, and they seemed like they were happy. Although I hated the thought of Carly with any other guy I had to admit that Andrew seemed like a good enough guy, he would take care of her. He had better be taking care of her.

As I walked down the sidewalk I couldn't help but wonder what was going on. I tried to push the thought out of my mind as I headed out to my friend Jake's apartment. Carly would be fine, Sam is there for her. I just need to stop worrying about it.

CPOV

Sam opened the door and immediately shouted.

"Carls?"

"Right here, Sam." I said, still not lifting my head up from my tear soaked arms. She walked over to the couch and sat down by my feet. She put a hand on my back.

"Carly, what's going on?"

I sat up on the couch and faced my best friend.

"Andrew broke up with me tonight. He said that things were different between us, that it wasn't me but our relationship wasn't what it used to be and he thought it would be better for both of us if we stopped seeing each other."

Sam pulled me into a hug and let me cry on her shoulder.

"Carls. You might not like what I am going to say but I'm going to say it. Andrew is a dumbass. If that boy is too stupid to see what he had going then he doesn't deserve you."

"Yes he does. He's amazing."

"If he's so amazing then why doesn't he see what's right in front of him? You are smart, funny, pretty… You are one kickass chick, Carly Shay. And if Andrew is willing to give that up then he is an idiot and you don't need him." What she said hit home. Why was I sitting here crying about a guy? If Andrew was ready to give up on us then he's not worth it.

"Yeah. Yeah! You know what? You're right. I don't need him. I don't need that jerk. I'm over him."

"Really?" She sounded doubtful, and for good reason, because we both knew I really wasn't.

"No." I frowned. "But I will be." Then Sam smiled really big at me.

"You know what you need, Carls?"

"What?"

"A girl's night out. What do you say? You and me can get all dressed up and go to that new dance club down the street. Dance the night away. It'll be fun."

I didn't really feel like going out tonight, but Sam was all excited and I knew if I stayed in the apartment the sadness would take hold of me again. Sam was right, I did need a night out. Just to have some fun and get my mind off of Andrew.

"That sounds awesome. Let's go."

We both ran into my bedroom to try to find some clothes to wear out. As I walked towards my dresser I stopped to look at the picture of Andrew and I that was taken on my 18th birthday. Sam noticed me staring at it.

"Actually, before we start getting ready why don't we de-Andrew this room. Go get a box and we'll put all the pictures and gifts everything that reminds you of him in it. Trust me, it will make getting over him a lot easier."

Forty minutes later we had two boxes full of stuff, as Sam was about to tape the second box closed she stopped and looked at me.

"Do, uh, do you want to put your bracelet in?"

I looked down at my wrist and spun the bracelet around a few times. I thought for a minute before I answered.

"No. Not yet." Sam nodded.

"Okay." She finished taping up the box and stuck it on the top shelf of my closet.

I laid back on my bed with a sigh. My room seemed a lot emptier now. Although I wanted to be over Andrew, I was wondering if I was rushing the healing process. I mean, three hours ago he was still my boyfriend, and now half of my belongings were packed in boxes and I was getting ready to go out. *Sigh* But I knew I needed it. I couldn't sit around and let myself sulk, I didn't want to be the kind of girl who let a guy get her all distraught.

"Hey Carly, I think I found the perfect outfit for you" Sam said, her voice muffled from being inside my closet. She walked out and handed me some clothes.

"That's perfect." I walked into my bathroom and got changed while Sam rummaged around my closet for something equally as awesome for her to wear.

An hour and a half later we were both dressed and ready to go. We took a couple pictures and posted them on Facebook before we left. I was dressed in the outfit Sam picked out. Grey leggings, a floaty purple skirt, black V-neck shirt and black ballet flats. My dark brown hair was mostly straight with a little wave in it, and I was wearing my favorite perfume.

Sam was wearing black skinny jeans, a silky teal tank top and a grey short-sleeved cardigan with black heels. Her hair fell in perfect blonde ringlets down her back. There was no denying it, we looked awesome.

We both stuck twenty dollars and our cell phones into our pockets so that we didn't have to worry about leaving our purses while we danced.

"Ready to go dance your pants off, Miss Shay?"

I laughed. "I don't have any pants on."

"Well I do! Let's go!"

Spencer was out of town for an art gallery that was displaying one of his sculptures, so I didn't have to worry about leaving a note, and before I knew it we were in a cab headed to the club.

**I hope you all liked it!! It's my first iCarly fanfic, a total Creddie story in the making. So please review and let me know what you think! I should have the next chapter up tomorrow.**


	2. Chapter 2: iNeed To Talk To You

**I do not own iCarly… or Facebook. Sad, isn't it?**

Chapter 2: iNeed to Talk to You

FPOV

I got back from Jake's around 1:30. I was pretty tired, so I changed into some sweatpants and sat on my bed. I couldn't stop thinking about running into Sam earlier. I wanted to know what was going on with Carly, and if she was okay. I picked up my phone to call her, if she went out tonight she was probably still up, but I decided against it anyway and threw it back down. Ugh, this is so frustrating. I haven't even really talked to this girl in two years and she still has this effect on me. I needed to get my mind off of her.

I picked up my laptop from off of the nightstand and got on Facebook. No new notifications. I looked through my homepage, nothing remotely interesting. Then I saw Sam had posted some new pictures in her "Best Friends" album. They were from tonight. She and Carly were all dressed up like they were going out. Carly looked amazing, beautiful as always, but I could tell something was off, the normal spark that is in her eyes was gone, and it was replaced by a kind of empty look. Most people wouldn't have been able to notice, but I could.

I clicked on the album and looked through tonight's pictures. There were only five: smiling, goofy faces, hugging, doing that thing with their hands that looks like a heart, normal girly stuff like that. The last picture though was just Carly, and Sam had tagged Carly's boyfriend Andrew in it, and the caption said 'Just wanted you to see what you're missing, you massive asshole.'

"What?" I said out loud. I went back to the homepage, and sure enough, it said Carly was now single. There was a post from her that said "Carly Shay is going to a dance club with her best friend, trying to forget about a certain stupid person." I figured it was directed at Andrew. There was a post from Sam, too. "Sam Puckett: You better hope I NEVER see you again, and if I do you should run for the safety of your internal organs. You know who you are." I closed my laptop and tried to get some sleep, but it wasn't working.

"Andrew dumped Carly?" I started thinking out loud, trying to process all of this. "That's why Carly was so upset earlier. Andrew dumped her. What a moron. Why would he hurt her like that? She's perfect, can't he see that?" I continued talking to myself until I heard voices in the hallway. They were laughing. I wondered if it was Carly and Sam back from the club. I wanted to go see.

I walked out of my room and looked through the peep hole on our door. Yep, it was. Carly was leaning against the door, talking to Sam. I heard Sam say she had to get home before her mom noticed she wasn't there. When I was in the lobby earlier picking up our mail I had seen Spencer leaving, he had a suitcase, so he wasn't there either. Carly would be all alone. I wanted to go talk to her so badly, just to be there for her. I got up my determination, and as soon as Sam left and Carly was unlocking the door, I walked out into the hallway.

CPOV

Sam and I had a blast at the dance club, we were laughing about the guy who hit on her as we walked down the hallway to my loft. She was right, it was definitely just what I needed to get my mind off of… Andrew. I frowned as Sam and I reached the door.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" she asked me.

"No." She gave me a look that said 'yeah, right'. "Maybe". Another look. "Yes."

"I'm really sorry, Carls. He's so stupid. You'll be okay tonight, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"I wish I could stay and hang out with you, but I need to get back before my mom realizes I never came home from my smoothie run."

"I totally understand, it's cool. I'll be okay."

"Well, call me if you need to. I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"

"Yeah. See ya."

I was a little sad to see my best friend leave, I didn't really want to be alone tonight. But she had to go, I didn't want her to get in trouble. I started unlocking the door when I heard another door open. It was the Benson's. Freddie stepped into the hallway, but I didn't think he was going anywhere because he was in sweatpants and a wrinkled t-shirt.

"Hey Carly."

"Hey. What are you doing out here? It's pretty late."

"Truthfully, I wanted to check on you. I ran into Sam in the lobby earlier and she said you were really upset about something. And then I kind of saw, well read, on Facebook, what was going on. How are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think so."

Then there was an awkward silence as neither of us really knew what to say.

"Well thank you, for being so concerned. That was really sweet."

"Of course. Just because things got kind of weird between us the past couple years doesn't mean I don't still care about you. I do. A lot."

I was kind of worried about where this was going. I knew Freddie had a thing for me before, I wasn't sure whether he was over it or not, but I really couldn't handle him telling me he loved me right now.

"Yeah, I care about you, too, Freddie. You were one of my best friends. Things just got a little screwed up."

"A lot screwed up."

"Yeah."

"I'm really sorry about that, Carly. I never meant to hurt you, or Sam. It just got so weird after iCarly ended. I never wanted us to stop being friends. That's something I really regret."

"Me too."

"So… friends again?"

"Forever." Just as I was about to goodnight I realized just how much I really did miss Freddie, so I decided to see if he wanted to hang out. "Hey. Do you want to come in? We could watch a movie or something."

"Definitely. That would be great."

**I would like to dedicate this (unfortunately short) chapter to my first three reviewers!!! So thank you very much to: PerennialKillJoy, CaptainKrueger, and purpleheart10 - I really appreciate your feedback.**

**I'll update tonight or tomorrow, I've got most of the next chapter written, but I have to go to work and can't finish right now. Sorry.**

**Please review, even if you hate it, feedback is feedback.**


	3. Chapter 3: iMissed You

**For anything I may have used in this chapter that is copyrighted, I don't own it. I don't own anything.**

Chapter 3: iMissed You

CPOV

I opened the door and we both walked in. I was starting to think maybe it would be awkward, because we hadn't hung out in so long, but Freddie seemed right at home.

"I'm gonna go change out of these clothes. You wanna get a movie?"

"Yeah, any requests?"

"A comedy. I need to laugh tonight."

"Coming right up."

I stood there looking at him while he looked through the cabinet full of DVD's. He had grown so much in the past two years, he got a lot taller, and being on the track team he had a lot more muscle these days, too. His hair was a little bit shaggier now, but I liked it. He looked a lot more grown up than the old Freddie, but it was still him. Same old smile, same bright eyes that seem to light up his whole face. He looked really good.

I stopped myself. I can't do this. I can't think about him like this. I convinced myself I was just having these thoughts because I was vulnerable from just being dumped. I walked up the stairs and noticed that Freddie had turned around and was watching me walk.

I got to my room and changed into my favorite green polka dot pajama pants and a yellow tank top I brushed my hair smooth and misted some hair spray into it, so it didn't smell like smoke from the club. I walked back downstairs and saw that Freddie already put a movie in and was sitting on one end of the couch with a blanket.

"You want some popcorn?"

"Sure."

I went into the kitchen and microwaved a bag of popcorn while I poured two glasses of fruit punch. When the popcorn was done I carried the bowl and both glasses out to the table. I sat the bowl in between us on the couch and Freddie started the movie.

FPOV

I'll admit it, I was a little disappointed when Carly sat on the opposite side of the couch from me. But of course she wasn't going to just cuddle up to me… not only did we just start talking again, but she just broke up with her boyfriend of almost a year. I had picked "The Ugly Truth" I had never seen it and Carly said she hadn't watched it yet either.

About halfway through the movie we had finished the popcorn and hadn't really said anything, just laughed occasionally. I was getting a little nervous because it looked like this was going to turn into a romantic comedy, and I knew Carly wouldn't want to watch any lovey dovey mush right now.

Just as I thought that of course there was a romantic dancing scene, and then of course before I knew it they were making out in an elevator. I glanced over at Carly to see how she was reacting, to decide whether or not I should just turn it off. But she seemed fine.

Her eyes remained on the screen and I didn't see a sign of wavering. She must be so into the movie she's not even thinking about Andrew. Or maybe she is just dealing with it really well and not letting it bother her. Yeah, probably not the second one, everyone is upset when they get broken up with, it's pretty much a fact of life. Getting dumped sucks.

I pressed 'stop' as the credits started rolling. As I sat up straight, intending on taking the popcorn bowl back to the kitchen, I noticed Carly wiped her hand against her cheek. She was crying, but trying really hard to hide it. I wasn't sure if I should try to comfort her or if I should act like I never noticed. But she caught me looking at her and started crying for real.

"Carls…" I put my hand on her arm as a tear fell down her face.

"Aww, come here." I scooted over closer to her and wrapped my arms around her. She laid her head on my chest and tried to control her crying.

"I'm so sorry, Carly. You deserve so much better. Someone who's going to realize how incredibly amazing you are. Who wouldn't let you go for anything in the world."

She looked up at me, tears still in her eyes, but no longer crying. I moved one hand from off of her waist and wiped away her tears with my thumb. We just sat there for a minute, and then I noticed she was staring at my mouth.

That made me remember something- a few years ago Carly, Sam and I were sitting in the studio, we had just finished a rehearsal for iCarly. The girls were sitting on a beanbag going through one of those teen magazines. As they flipped through the pages they came across an article that said if someone is staring at your mouth they want you to kiss them. I was about to lean in to kiss her when Carly started laughing. Normally I would have been disappointed that I didn't get to kiss her, but I was so glad to hear her laughing, a real genuine laugh, that I didn't even mind.

"What's so funny?" I asked her, smiling.

"Your mouth. It's bright red from the fruit punch." She laughed again. I looked at her mouth and knew what she meant.

"Yeah, yours is, too." We both laughed together. Then out of nowhere she hugged me really tight, it caught me a little off guard, but it was great.

"What's this for?" I asked.

"For being an incredible person, who makes me feel better when I'm sad."

"Yeah, well, that's my job."

I stood up and took the popcorn bowl to the kitchen. I looked at the time on the stove, 3:27 am. Wow, it was pretty late. I walked back into the living room and saw Carly leaning back on the couch with her eyes closed. I could tell she wasn't sleeping, because she was twisting the bracelet around her wrist, but she looked really tired. I hated to admit it, but our night was coming to an end.

"Well I should get going, Carls. Thanks for inviting me over, though. I'm really glad we did this. I missed you." By then she had opened her eyes and sat up straight.

"Yeah, I missed you too, Freddie. A lot." I smiled at her and walked towards the door. I was about to twist the door handle when Carly said,

"Freddie! Wait."

**Cliffhanger! Sorry… it had to be done. What's she going to say? Did Freddie forget something, or is does she have something else to say to him? I know, but I can't tell you guys yet (because I don't have it typed up, plus sometimes a little suspense is exciting…) Again, sorry this chapter was a bit short, I think the next one will be longer.**

**Thanks again to my reviewers, you're feedback really gives me the motivation to keep going with this story. If you all have any suggestions about something you would like to see in this story I would love to read them. I have a general idea where it's headed, but I am writing it for my readers so your input is gladly received.**

**Updating hopefully tomorrow if I get a chance to type it up.**


	4. Chapter 4: iNeed You

**You all know what I am going to say here but I'm going to say it anyway: I do not own iCarly. Or anything else. **

Chapter 4: iNeed You

CPOV

"Freddie! Wait." The words came out of my mouth before I realized what I was doing. All I knew is that all night I couldn't get him out of my mind, even when I was thinking about Andrew. Maybe it was just the vulnerability or maybe it was something more, I wasn't sure. But I was sure that I didn't want Freddie to leave.

"Yeah?" He turned around to face me.

"Do you have to leave?" Asking felt kind of awkward, but I couldn't take it back now. He got a really surprised look on his face, but I also noticed a bit of a smile.

"You want me to stay?"

"It's just… I don't really want to be alone tonight. We can just hang out. Or if you don't want to it's not a big deal."

"No, I'm cool with hanging out. What do you want to do?"

"I've still got the Wii up in my room, we can go play some Wii bowling." I suggested, knowing how much he likes that game.

"I don't know about that…" he said.

"How come? You used to love Wii bowling."

"Oh, I still do. I just don't want you to get too upset when I kick your butt."

We raced up the stairs to my room. After three rounds of Wii bowling (Final Tally: Freddie- 2, Carly- 1) we decided to bring Spencer's x-box up to my room so we could sit on my bed and play some classic frogger. I was watching Freddie taking his turn racing the frog through the lanes of crazy drivers and across an alligator-infested river and I started to feel kind of tired.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew Freddie had turned everything off and was getting a blanket from my closet that he put over me. I blinked my eyes open as he was covering up my feet.

"Hey." I said quietly, still tired.

"Shh, go back to sleep. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Freddie?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay and talk to me until I fall back asleep?"

"Sure."

FPOV

I laid down next to Carly on her bed, not saying anything so she would fall back asleep, I knew she was tired. So was I.

"Freddie, thank you. For everything. You've been so great to me tonight."

"It was my pleasure. I had fun. I missed you, Carls. You know, after all this time I never…" I stopped myself from telling her I still loved her. That was too soon.

"You never what?"

"I- Well-" I was struggling for what to say. I didn't want to tell her what I had actually meant to say, but my brain wasn't coming up with anything else. "I just never thought us becoming friends again would be so easy. That's all."

Carly got a funny look on her face, like she wasn't sure if I was telling the truth, but she didn't press the subject (thankfully). Then she took me completely by surprise. She rolled on her side so she was facing me, gently placed her hand on my face and stared me right in the eyes.

"You are honestly the most amazing guy I have ever known, Freddie Benson. I really should have given you the chance you deserved when we were younger."

"You could just give me a chance now" I whispered to her. We both started leaning in, I couldn't believe this was actually happening, I was about to kiss Carly Shay. I've been dreaming about this moment for years. Hopefully this wasn't a dream too. No way, it felt too real.

Our lips were inches apart when all the sudden, my phone started ringing.

"Ughhh…" I groaned as I leaned back away from Carly. This had better be really important, that was the second time in one night that my attempt to kiss her had been ruined. I looked at my phone, it was my mom. "Oh greaaaat."

"What?"

"It's my mom. She realized I'm not home yet. Shh." Carly nodded as I answered the phone. I heard my mom's angry and worried voice on the other end.

"Fredward Benson? Where on earth are you? Why aren't you home yet?"

"Mom, calm down. Remember, I went to Jake's. I just lost track of time, I'm sorry. I'll be home in ten minutes."

"No. I will not have you walking the streets of Seattle by yourself at four thirty in the morning, Freddie. I'll come pick you up." I panicked.

"No! I mean, you have work in the morning and you shouldn't waste your night picking me up. Go back to bed, I'll just stay the night at Jake's and have his mom drop me off on her way to work. Okay?"

"*Sigh* Alright. But get to bed. You need your sleep. You boys shouldn't be up this late at night."

"Alright. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Then I hung up.

I looked over at Carly who was smiling at me.

"Need somewhere to stay tonight?" she asked me.

"Yeah. Can I stay here? If you want I can go sleep on the couch, if you're more comfortable with that."

"No, you can stay here with me. Just don't pull any funny stuff, mister."

I smiled and said, "Wouldn't dream of it." Which of course was a lie, because I certainly would dream of it, just like I have been the past six years of our lives.

I laid down on my back, because leaning on my arm was starting to hurt.

"So I can't believe you lied to your mom like that."

"I didn't really _lie_. I did go to Jake's and I did lose track of time, I just skipped over the part where I came here."

"Sneaky, sneaky." She giggled. Then she yawned, which of course made me yawn. We both knew we needed to crash.

"Goodnight, Freddie." She said, rolling over so she faced the opposite direction. I wanted to cuddle up next to her, but I wasn't sure if she wanted me to or not, we kind of left our previous conversation unfinished. I decided just to stay where I was, we would deal with all that later.

"Goodnight Carls." Then we both fell asleep.

The alarm on my phone went off at seven. We only slept for two and a half hours, but it was the best sleep I had ever gotten. Carly had rolled over in her sleep, her head laid on my chest, and my arm around her waist. It was really comfortable, I wished we could just stay like that all day. The alarm woke her up too.

"Morning needs to die." She mumbled into my shirt, half joking and half serious.

"I don't know… waking up with you made my morning pretty great." She sighed and sat up, facing me.

"Freddie we really need to talk about what happened last night, you know, before you're mom called you."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Well, you know what I feel, how I've always felt about you. But what do you want?" She sat and thought for a few minutes while we sat in silence.

"My mind has been such a mess since you walked into the hallway last night. I just don't know what to think."

"Well what kinds of things have been going through your mind?"

"So many different things. Obviously I am sad about Andrew, he really was a good guy and I was happy with him." I frowned. I really didn't want to hear about Andrew right now. Or ever again for that matter.

"But then I've been thinking about you and how amazing you are, and how when I'm with you I feel like we're the only two people in the world. I think I have serious feelings for you, Freddie. But it worries me."

"Why?"

"Because I really don't want to rush this. I don't want it to be a rebound kind of situation. I just want to wait until I know I'm ready to be in a relationship again. Are you mad?"

"Mad? Why in the world would I be mad? So what I have to wait a little bit longer, I've been waiting for you for years. A little more time won't kill me." I sat up to look her in the eyes so she knew I was serious.

"Well that's good, I definitely don't want that."

"So… you're serious about this then? We're really going to try this?"

"Freddie I'm done being stupid about the guys that I date. They've all been complete nubs, we both know it. I want to be with someone who's going to take the relationship seriously, who's going to care for me, protect me, support me, make me laugh. I really think that guy is you."

'I will be that guy' I thought to myself. 'I'm not going to mess this up.' Carly leaned over and gave me a hug and said,

"I promise, as soon as I know I'm ready I'll let you know. I don't think you're going to have to wait long. And for now we can hang out and spend time together." She pulled back out of the hug and looked me right in the eyes. And then the next thing I knew, she leaned in and kissed me.

"I'm so confused right now… I thought we were waiting?" I asked (with a huge grin on my face, even though I was confused, I was still really happy).

"We are. That was for being so patient with me. You're the best."

"I try." Then after I few seconds I noticed the clock on the wall.

"Crap! Carly, I absolutely hate to say this, but I have to go. I told my mom that Jake's mom was dropping me off, and she goes to work at eight, so I should get going."

"Your mom hasn't left for work yet?"

"No, she changed shifts, she doesn't leave until eight thirty now, so she'll notice if I'm late. Then I have to go to work at noon. But I'll call you when I get out at six."

"Okay. I think I'm gonna go back to sleep. I don't have to be anywhere today. Sam is coming over at two, so I've got awhile."

"Lucky. Have fun today, I'll talk to you later." I fought the urge to kiss her on the forehead as I got out of bed. I waved as she laid back down and closed her eyes.

I opened the door to my loft and yelled up to my mom's room.

"Mom! I'm home." She walked down the stairs with a cup of decaf coffee in her hand.

"Good morning. Did you have fun at Jake's house?"

"Yeah." She looked at me and then gave me a funny look.

"Freddie, those aren't the clothes you were wearing when you left for Jake's house yesterday." Oh God, busted. I was going to have to lie and lie fast if I wanted to get away with this one.

"Well… they're repainting in Jake's apartment and I leaned up against the wet paint in my clothes, so Jake's mom offered to wash my clothes. These are Jake's. He let me borrow them. His mom said I could get my clothes the next time I go over." I couldn't believe that came to my mind so fast. Now I was just hoping she didn't recognize these clothes, they were a little old, so maybe I could get away with it.

She gave me one of those 'I have a feeling you're lying but I have no proof' kind of looks that parents are always using, but I didn't crack.

"Okay then. Well I am going in a little early today. I'll see you when I get home tonight."

"Yeah, bye mom." Whew, I cannot believe I pulled that off.

**Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing, you're all awesome. I'm really glad you like it so far. I hope you liked this chapter too. I'll try to update tomorrow, but I don't have any of the next chapter done, so we'll see.**


	5. Chapter 5: iTell My Best Friend

**I do not own iCarly, or anything else. If I did I wouldn't be living in a tiny crappy apartment. Oh the joys of being a broke college student.**

Chapter 5: iTell My Best Friend

CPOV

I had planned on sleeping for a couple more hours, then getting up because I had a list of things to do: finish a resume for an internship that I wanted to get this summer with the local newspaper, eat something, shower, get dressed, and drop off the resume… all before Sam was supposed to come over. That just goes to show that things don't always go as planned.

I forgot to set an alarm on my phone, so I didn't wake up until 1:27. Sam was supposed to be there at two. I guess the resume was going to have to wait until tomorrow, when I called them they said they were taking resumes, but the hiring process wouldn't start until Monday. Today is Thursday, so I still have plenty of time. I really want this internship, even though I know there is basically no chance of me getting it.

After I showered and dressed I went downstairs to get some food, but Sam beat me to it. She was sitting at the counter eating a popsicle.

"Seriously, how do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Getting in the apartment when everything is locked."

"Well sometimes I pick the lock, sometimes I climb the fire escape… and in desperate times I use the air vents. But I haven't done that in ages… well, except last month when I didn't have a bobby pin and there were cops in the alley. But other than that it's been a long time."

"Why didn't you just have Spencer or I just unlock the door?"

"You weren't home."

"Oh." Then it hit me. "Wait- how often are you here when Spencer and I are gone?"

"A lot."

"Good to know." I laughed and opened the refrigerator to find some food. It was empty.

"Okay, I'm starving. I need food. You want to go get some lunch?"

"Do you really have to ask if _I_ want _food_?"

"Stupid me. Let's go."

We went to a little diner down the street. As we started eating our burgers and fries I kept thinking about Freddie. And last night. What would Sam think? I knew I needed to tell her, I just wasn't exactly sure how.

"You thinking about Andrew?"

"Why would you say that?"

"You just looked like you had something on your mind, I figured it was him."

"Not really. But I do have something on my mind. Sam, I have to tell you something."

"Okay… What's up?"

"After you left last night, I was in the hallway, Freddie came to talk to me."

"Oh. What did he say?"

"He said he heard about Andrew, and asked if I was okay. Then we talked about how everything got screwed up, and how we want to be friends again. Then I asked him if he wanted to hang out. So we watched a movie and played Wii bowling." I waited for Sam to say something, but she didn't.

"Sam?"

"So you and Freddie are friends again."

"Well it's kind of more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well last night I realized that I maybe, kind of, sort of, possibly might like Freddie. A lot." Sam had stopped eating her food, which was not a good sign. I knew it was a lot to take in, but she seemed upset. The last thing I wanted was to make Sam mad because of this. I just got one best friend back, I really didn't want to lose the other.

"Sam, what do you think about this all?"

"I don't know what to think, I need to get this all through my head. Did you tell him?"

"Well he ended up staying over. His mom called while he was over and he needed somewhere to stay. We talked about everything this morning before he left. We want to try being in a relationship, but I don't want to rush into anything, especially because things with Andrew just ended." We sat in silence for a few minutes, while Sam sat thinking.

"Sam, you are my best friend in the whole world. I want to know what you're thinking. What's your opinion about all of this?"

"I don't know Carls. On the one hand I'm happy for you, I'm glad you and Freddie are friends again, and that you are over Andrew and you're moving on. I know how much Freddie adores you. But on the other hand I can't help but be mad at him."

"Why?"

"Because he ditched us. He abandoned us for his short-shorts wearing, aerodynamic track friends."

"Sam the whole thing wasn't his fault. Yes, Freddie got new friends, but we have to take some of the blame. You know as well as I do that when iCarly ended we didn't hang out with Freddie as much. What was he supposed to do?"

"Yeah, okay. But at least we tried somewhat. Even after he started the track team we tried to call occasionally to talk, we said hi in the hallway. And yeah, he always said hi back, but we were always the ones trying. Friendship isn't a one-way street."

"Okay. But he's trying now. He wants us all to be friends again. I'm ready to put this all past us. Don't you want things to go back to the way they were before?"

SPOV

Of course I wanted things to go back to the way they were before. That's what I've wanted all along. But it's not that easy. Not for me, anyway. I really was glad that Freddie was trying, and that Carly was so accepting and forgiving, but something felt off to me. I wanted to forgive him, to give him another chance, to tease and insult him the way I used to. But I couldn't help but wonder why he was trying all the sudden.

Was it really just because he ran into me in the lobby and he missed us, or was it something else? Was he just coming back to us because his little track friends stopped hanging out with him? Was he just doing this because he found out Andrew duped Carly and he knew she was vulnerable? Was it all so he could try to get together with Carly? So many things were running through my mind, and as much as I wanted it to be because he really missed us and wanted to fix things, I couldn't trust him that easily.

"Yeah I do." I finally said back to Carly. I couldn't tell her everything I was thinking. If I did she would get mad. And I wouldn't blame her, if someone accused those things about my friend I would get mad, too. I just couldn't make myself believe this was all sincere.

"So… are we okay?" She asked cautiously, like she was afraid I was angry with her. So to prove everything was okay I decided to joke around,

"Do goldfish like bubble baths?"

"No. Not at all. Soap kills goldfish."

"It does?!? Well I guess I know why I had to flush Lucy and Ricky."

"I still can't believe you named your fish after I Love Lucy characters."

"I was waiting for them to have a guppy so I could name him Little Ricky." We both laughed.

"So we're good?" She asked again, this time not at all nervous.

"Of course. I mean come on, lots of things bigger than this have tried to split us up and it hasn't happened yet. I think you're stuck with me, Carly Shay."

"Dang it. I was going to try and trade you in for Natalie Parker."

"Hey now!"

"Kidding!" She said, both of us smiling.

"Besides, Natalie Parker isn't nearly as funny as me. You would miss me in two hours."

"Yeah. I have an idea. Why don't we all hang out this weekend. Like the old days. It'll be great."

"Sure." That would give me a chance to figure out for myself what Freddie really wanted.

CPOV

We left the diner and went back to the apartment. I was really glad Sam seemed to getting used to the idea of the three of us becoming friends again, and she wasn't upset about Freddie and I eventually becoming a couple, or at least if she was she hid it well.

After a couple hours of just hanging out, listening to music and talking, Sam got up and grabbed her bag.

"Well I think I'm gonna get going, Carls. See ya."

"Okay. I'll call you later."

It was about 5:30 when Sam left. I remembered Freddie saying that he got out at six and that he was going to call me. I really wanted to talk to him, to tell him how talking to Sam had gone, and to see if he got busted by his mom this morning.

I went to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of orange juice. Then I sat on the couch and watched an old rerun of Friends, the one where Monica convinces Chandler to take a bubble bath, and then gave him a toy submarine so it would be a 'boy bath'. And Ross and Rachel argue over baby names. I laughed a lot. Especially at the end, when Chandler was taking (yet another) bath and they all ended up in the bathroom with him. The show made the half an hour go by fast.

At six I realized I didn't even have my cell downstairs with me. So I ran upstairs and checked to see if I had missed his call. Nope. I went back downstairs and checked my email, while also waiting (somewhat impatiently) for Freddie to call. He never did. I thought about just calling him, but I figured he might have gotten caught up at work or something. Then someone knocked on the door. I opened the door and it was Freddie, he had tiger lilies, my favorite. He held them out to me.

"For you."

"They're beautiful, thank you Freddie. But I'm not ready yet."

"I know. These are 'just friends' flowers. Nothing more." He said smirking.

"Okay then. Thank you." We walked in and I got a vase out of the cupboard for the flowers. Then I filled with three inches of water and stuck them in the middle of the table.

"Perfect." I said as I rearranged some of the flowers.

"Yeah, it is." He said, but the way he said it I didn't think he was talking about the flowers.

**As always, thanks to my reviewers. Without all of your comments I honestly don't know if I would have continued the story.**

**Not sure if I will be able to update tomorrow or not, but if not it will be soon, I promise.**


	6. Chapter 6: iDon't Care What They Think

**I'm back! Sadly, I kind of forgot about this story. Well, not kind of. I completely forgot. I'm sorry :( But I am very excited to get back on track with it, and I promise my updates won't be as erratic as before. I finished up a personal novel I had been working on, so this can get more of my attention now.**

**As always, I own nothing.**

**This chapter takes place one day after the last ended.**

Chapter 6: iDon't Care What They Think

CPOV

I was waiting for Freddie and Sam to show up to the apartment. Today was going to be the first time in almost three years that the three of us have hung out, and I was really excited. I really wanted things to go back to the way they were. But I was also kind of nervous, I knew Sam was kind of worried about Freddie, and I wanted it to all go well. Just then my cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey little sister." It was Spencer, he was supposed to be back this afternoon from his art exhibit.

"Hey Spencer! How'd the art show go?"

"Actually that's what I was calling about. It went great. Amazing. It couldn't have gone better." He sounded really excited.

"That's awesome."

"Yeah. But you haven't even heard the best part."

"What's the best part?"

"One of the art critics who was judging the exhibit said that I have real talent and he told me I should go to the exhibit at his art gallery dedicated completely to sculptures. He said he wants to feature me as Seattle's up-and-coming artist of the year!"

"Wow, Spencer, that's amazing! Congratulations!"

"Thanks. But here's the thing, the exhibit is tomorrow. Do you think you'll be okay by yourself a few more days?"

"Sure, I don't want you to miss this opportunity. Go and impress all those important artsy people."

"I will. Have you been up to anything the past couple days? Lots of dates with Andrew, I'm guessing."

"Actually, no. Andrew and I aren't together anymore."

"Aww, I'm sorry Carls."

"It's okay. But I do have some good news for you…"

"Shoot."

"Me, Sam and Freddie are hanging out tonight."

"Good. I was wondering how long it was going to take you all to realize you needed to work all that out."

"Yeah, I think it's going to go well. I'm hoping anyway."

"Well I hope it goes great, Carls, and I'm sorry but I have to get going. I'll see you in a few days, alright. Don't do anything against the law."

"I won't. Bye."

It was nice talking to Spencer, I really did miss him when he went out of town for awhile.

(A few hours later…)

I couldn't believe how great things were going with Sam and Freddie. At first it was a little awkward, they were both talking to me and not each other, but now it's like we never stopped being friends. I hope that it stays like this.

SPOV

Hanging out hasn't been awful. Freddie and I are talking and laughing, which is a good sign. But I still can't help but wonder if it's all an act so he can get Carly. Sure, I want to be friends with Freddie again, but Carly is my best friend, and I'm going to protect her, so I'm going to keep my guard up.

"Hey, Jake just texted me saying glow bowling is only $2 tonight. You guys want to go?" Freddie asked. Great, so we can feel excluded while he hangs out with his track friends, maybe nothing's changed after all.

"Are Jake and the guys going?" Carly asked. I smiled to myself, it's funny how she and I think so alike.

"No. He was just telling me. They're going to some party tonight."

"And you're not going?" I asked.

"Nah. I'd rather be here." He said. He seemed genuine, which gave me a little faith, but I still wasn't fully convinced.

"Well I'm up for it if you are Sam." Carly said.

"Sure, sounds like fun. But it's too far to walk, so can we borrow Spencer's car?" I asked.

"Yeah, Socko helped him take his sculptures to the art gallery, so it's still in the parking garage."

"I thought Socko had his car towed?" I asked her.

"He did. They borrowed his cousin Tuck's truck." Carly said, laughing. "Okay, well if we're going I want to go change. Glow bowling in a black shirt is no fun." She climbed up the stairs, and then it was just Freddie and I. I decided I was going to ask him about what was going on, it was the perfect chance.

"Hey Freddie?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question? A serious question?"

"Sure."

"And you better not lie. Why are you really here tonight?"

"To hang out with you and Carly." I rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean Freddie. Why are you trying all of the sudden? Do you really want to fix this? Or are you just taking advantage of the situation just to get to Carly?" He looked hurt. I guess that was my answer right there. But I still wanted to hear what he had to say.

"I guess I deserved that. I have been a pretty shitty friend to the both of you these past few years. I'm sorry, Sam. And it probably does seem suspicious that I'm trying to fix everything now, when Carly just got out of a relationship, but it's not like that. Carly just looked so upset when she was in the hallway that night, I had to talk to her. I swear, I'm still the good guy I was two years ago. I would never do something like that to Carly. And I don't want to jeopardize our friendship again, Sam. Believe it or not, I missed your abuse." He said, laughing. I definitely believed he had good motives now.

"Jeez, Benson. You do know how to give a nice speech, don't you?" I said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah, well… I meant it all."

"I believe you."

FPOV

After we finished glow bowling we got smoothies from Groovy Smoothie. Then we got Spencer's car back to the garage and headed outside. When we got to the sidewalk Sam said she needed to get home, so after we all said goodbye she went one direction and Carly and I went the other.

"That was so much fun." Carly said.

"Yeah, it really was." I reached for Carly's hand to hold it, but she pulled it away.

"Okay, not time yet. Sorry." I said.

"No, I'm sorry. You're being so patient. But you understand why I want to wait a little while, right?"

"Actually, not really. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm willing to wait however long you want, but I don't know why we have to."

"I just don't want people thinking I moved on too quick. I don't want to be known as 'that girl'. The girl that can't go without a boyfriend."

"Okay." I said, nodding my head. We walked in silence back to the apartment building. It seemed like there was something on her mind, I hoped she wasn't reconsidering giving us a shot. We got to the hallway between our apartments and I was about to say goodnight when Carly said,

"Freddie, can you come in for a few minutes? I want to talk to you about something." Crap. I knew this was too good to be true. She opened the door, but I didn't move. I didn't want this to end, especially when it hadn't even really started. She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?" I was dreading her answer, until I noticed that she hadn't let go of my hand. She looked me in the eyes and took my other hand,

"Freddie. I was wrong before. I don't care what other people think of me. They don't know what's going on. You and I have something special, and I don't want to put it on hold just because of what people might think."

"So, you're saying…"

"I'm saying – Freddie Benson, will you be my boyfriend?"

"I thought you'd never ask." I put my arms around her waist and kissed her. It was the best kiss of my life, and I was sure it wouldn't be the last. We kissed for a few minutes until Carly pulled away and asked,

"So… that's a yes, right?"

"Of course." I gave her a quick kiss. I glanced at the clock and noticed it was getting pretty late.

"I hate to say this, but I should get going before my mom notices I'm not home again." I said. She frowned.

"I wish you didn't have to leave. I wish you could stay with me, like last night." I scanned my brain for an idea, because I didn't want to leave, either. Then I got a plan.

"I'll be right back." I said with a smile. I went into my apartment, changed into pajamas and left a note for my mom saying I ran into my friend Kyle while I was out and I was going to his place for the night. I also put on the note that my phone died and I couldn't find my charger. She didn't know Kyle's number, and without my cell phone she wouldn't be able to call and ruin my night with Carly. I went into my room and hid my charger, so she wouldn't know I had been lying. Then I snuck back out and went back to Carly's.

"So?" She asked.

"I can stay here tonight."

"No way, she actually said it was alright?"

"No. But if anyone asks, your name is Kyle."

"And if she tries to call?"

"Took care of that, too. She doesn't know Kyle's last name, so she can't find it in the phone book, and I told her my phone was dead."

"You know she'll ask why you didn't take your charger."

"Told her I couldn't find it."

"Did you hide it?"

"Yep."

"Wow. You, Freddie Benson, are a natural sneak."

"Impressed?"

"Definitely." I walked over to her and kissed her yet again, I really liked that I could kiss her whenever I wanted to now (unless she told me not to). She pulled away and yawned.

"Aww, come on. Kissing me isn't that boring, is it?" I teased.

"No, of course not. I'm just really exhausted, it's been a long day."

"Did you get that resume in today?"

"Yeah, this morning. I'm really nervous about it."

"I'm sure you'll get it."

"Probably not, they'll most likely choose someone with more experience, not a recent high school graduate. But it would be great." She yawned again, we were both dead tired.

"Want to go get some sleep?"

"Well that's a silly question. Let's go." She joked.

About five seconds after we crawled in bed Carly was passed out. She really was exhausted. I just laid there and watched her sleep for a few minutes, then I kissed her forehead and went to sleep myself.

**Okay, I hope this lengthy chapter makes up for my forgetfulness. I should have the next chapter up in a couple days. Please review :)**

**Update: Hey guys. I just want to thank all of you who have been reading and the reviews you've left. I really liked writing this fanfic, but I think I'm going to end it here. I've been trying to write the next chapter for awhile, and nothing seems to be good enough. And I've been thinking about starting a new fanfic, but I'm still working on it. Thanks again :)**


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